


between the lines

by darkblooms



Category: SKAM Austin
Genre: F/M, Missing Scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 13:37:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19319284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkblooms/pseuds/darkblooms
Summary: A collection of missing moments between Grace and Daniel.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on Daniel's last text to Grace before he contacts her again in the premiere.
> 
> https://66.media.tumblr.com/037bba1d47791f84c0c67b775f2f7353/tumblr_pon4rmRPKg1rtvncw_1280.jpg

**MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2018, 4:54 PM**

 

                  **Wed, June 27, 3:20 PM**

 

how about our date

 

                        Can't. I'm in Dallas all summer.

 

that wasn't part of the deal

 

                        Do you seriously need a date

                        as incentive for baseline human

                        decency?

 

                 **Wed, June 27, 8:00 PM**

 

september it is

 

                       Whatever you say, Donald

 

' _September it is_ '. The words were damn near burning a hole through Grace's screen as she looked at that same text thread yet again. They were more than halfway into September, and she hadn't heard so much as a peep from Daniel in almost three months.  _But that's what she wanted... right?_  For him to finally take a hint and realize nothing would ever happen between them? 

Grace could say she wasn't secretly waiting for him to contact her about their date this month like he promised, but that would just make her a liar. An even bigger liar than someone who would promise a guy a date just so he would apologize for how he treated her friend. Kelsey was in a good place now. She had moved on, she-

"Oh. My. GOD." Kelsey's deafening squeal tore Grace from her thoughts. "Is it just me, or have those two-a-days been  _really_  good to #2?” 

Grace followed Kelsey's line of sight from the bleachers they sat in down to the field where Daniel led the way for the rest of the team to begin practice for the day. His arm muscles bunched as he gripped his helmet in hand. It irritated Grace that she would even notice something like that. God, even the way all of the boys followed him as he waltzed onto the field was annoying.

_Did Kelsey just sigh?_  Grace guessed she could scratch 'Kelsey is over Daniel' off the list.

"Kelsey, seriously?" Grace gave her a disapproving look. "How can you still be hung up on this asshole? Did you not forget what he said to you last year?" 

Kelsey looked at Megan for reassurance. "He apologized. Actually apologized. And he was... genuine about it. You heard him, right Megan?" 

Megan's eyes met Grace's. "Yeah, Kels. I heard."

"It's perfect, really. Daniel being the first-string quarterback his senior year, and me finally being a Kitten. It’s like everything is falling into place. Junior year is ours, girls." 

"Bouldin High royalty, Kelsey Bear." Jo replied. Kelsey smiled. Grace felt sick. She just wanted to make a dent in this pre-calc homework piled on top of her lap, but that effort was fruitless now. Her concentration was shot.

Coach Soliz blew the whistle again as the boys began running plays. Grace's eyes seemed to follow that white number two against her will. She didn't even follow football; if she was being honest, she thought organized sports were kind of stupid. But even she had to admit the spiral he just threw was one of the best she had ever seen. Precise. Accurate. Talented no doubt. There was a reason Daniel had so much power at this school - he was a football legend, one from a long line of football legends in the Williamson family, according to Kelsey. With him as captain this year, they'd finally make it back to State where Bouldin belonged.

"Well, now that you're on good terms with Daniel again, we have an in on all the football parties." Zoya remarked. 

"Totally. Pen Jo says we're all invited to Hunter's on Friday night after the game," Megan told the girls. Grace looked to her with narrowed eyes. "What? We still text from time to time..."

"Nothing, nothing at all," Grace held up her hands in mock defense, fighting a smile. 

She still had a hint of a smile as her eyes moved back to the field and met a pair of familiar chocolate brown ones that invaded her thoughts more than usual these days. He flashed her that signature smirk as he jogged up to the Gatorade cooler on the sidelines and filled up his paper cup of water. His brown hair was in disarray as he yanked his helmet off and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. His eyes never left hers as he lifted the cup up to those annoyingly soft looking lips and took a long sip. The hellish 90 degrees of September in Texas was the reason Grace was feeling flustered. Not Daniel’s unrelenting gaze. 

She was so busted.

"He's totally looking up here at me." Kelsey whisper-yelled. "Friday night can't come soon enough."

This was last year all over again. Grace couldn't do this today. "Hey guys, I think I'm gonna head home and start dinner. If it were up to Eve, we’d be eating out of a carton of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food. I’ll see you tomorrow."

She hugged the girls and made her way down the bleachers. _Head down, get to your car._ That was the game plan. Unfortunately for her, that meant she would pass right by where Daniel was chatting with Jo. 

"Williamson! Diaz! Hustle up!" Soliz barked. Grace's traitorous brain must've short circuited, because yet again she cast another look at Daniel. As he jogged back to the field, he turned around giving her a look of his own before sending a wink her way.  _Such a damn cliché._

Why did she get the feeling that that wink meant their little game was back on after months of radio silence? Why did that excite her?

Her mind refused to quiet down the entire ride home.

 

**THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018, 10:26 AM**

Mr. Kolker had been droning on about quadratic functions for about thirty-four minutes and twelve seconds, but Grace was absolutely not counting. 

She was only one of a handful of juniors in a math class designated for seniors. Grace was cursing her insistent need to excel academically, especially this semester.

In a school of almost 1,500 students, of course she would be in the same math class as Daniel Williamson. Of course.  

“Now who can tell me what the range is in example number 4?” Grace thought Mr. Kolker deserved a gold medal for trying to pry any participation out of his students. Usually the only people who spoke up in class were her and Poonam.

“That’d be [2, ∞).”  Wait, what? She knew that deep voice all too well. Did Daniel Williamson seriously just answer a calculus question right? 

“That’s correct, Mr. Williamson.” Kolker said in surprise. _Guess that makes two of us_ , Grace thought.

She turned around to where Daniel sat a row and two seats behind her and didn’t miss the crooked smirk and raised brows he cast her way.

She felt his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head for the remainder of the period. When Mr. Kolker released them with the “Don’t forget tomorrow we have our exam which covers chapters 1-4,” she was all but ready to bolt out of the classroom.

Making her way to her locker across from Kolker’s classroom, Grace heard Daniel laughing with Hunter about something after he greeted him with the customary jock bro-hug. Gag. She fumbled with the combination three times before finally getting in to swap out her pre-calc book for chem.

She was just slipping the chem book in her backpack when the heady smell of mint and aftershave invaded her nostrils. She liked that smell.

“Gorgeous Grace,” Daniel came up and leaned against the lockers to her left. He was wearing a fitted blue v-neck, that defined his biceps as he crossed his arms. Was that his favorite color or something? Every time she saw him he was in blue. It was definitely his color. Whatever.

“Donald.” She deadpanned, feigning boredom.

“That’s two times this week now you couldn’t keep your eyes off me.” God, he was infuriatingly sure of himself.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I was just shocked that your brain was capable of processing something other than girls or football.”

“Ouch,” he placed his hand over his heart in mock hurt, “cold as always, I see.”

“Did you want something? As fun as this has been, I have a class to get to.”

Daniel just smiled at her. It’s almost like he enjoyed her sniping at him. “Hunter’s parents are out of town this weekend; we’re throwing a party right after the Rebels game on Friday. Should be a good time. Would love to see you there.” His eyes shined waiting for her response. “Or, there’s always that date you owe me, you know."

“I have a boyfriend.” Grace blurted out. _Where the hell did that come from?_

Daniel raised an eyebrow, but not before she saw a look of shock pass over those sharp features. “That so?”

“Yeah. I- I mean, we kinda started things back up again when I was in Dallas over the summer. So, sorry. Not interested.” 

He seriously looked hurt. She didn’t know if she liked seeing him as anything less than the flirty and sure-of-himself boy he decided to show her. He definitely had the puppy dog look down. “Got it," he ran a hand awkwardly through his hair. 

"Guess I won’t be looking out for you, then.” He backed away in defeat. "See you around, Grace."

Yeah, she definitely wasn’t used to this side of him, like something might actually affect him. It made him human. She didn't know why she hoped she _would_ still be seeing him around despite his parting line that sounded all too final. 

 

**THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018, 12:14 PM**

“So I was thinking of wearing this for Friday’s party,” The girls crowded around Kelsey's phone at the lunch table looking at a picture of a dainty blue floral dress, so undeniably... Kelsey. _Blue._

“You’re still coming, right Grace?” Kelsey gave her a pointed look.

“What? Oh, actually.. Monday is the Bouldin Beat’s first issue launch. I just mean, I'm new to the staff and want to make a good impression. So I thought I’d buckle down this weekend to make sure my article is perfect.” She had no desire to be at that party. Especially not after the fake bomb she just dropped on Daniel an hour ago. 

“Fine. Next one though, missy, and NO excuses.” Kelsey admonished.

“Deal.”

Grace felt her phone buzz in her bag and grabbed it.

 

** Thu, Sep 20, 12:17 PM: **

Daniel Williamson

shame about that boyfriend

 

She sighed shakily, looking around the cafeteria for him, but came up empty. What was she even thinking? Her lies were starting to pile up, and she had a feeling they were going to catch up with her sooner rather than later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In 2x01 we find out Daniel was in the hospital due to a football-related injury and that our girl ever so graciously offered up her class notes to him while he was out of school.

**MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2018, 11:07 AM**

 

When someone like Daniel Williamson misses school for going on two weeks, people are bound to talk. The Bouldin High rumor mill was spinning out of control.  

A massive concussion sustained at practice had left the star athlete sidelined. Or was it a torn ACL? No, Daniel was a steroid junkie. Took too many and blew his arm right up. The last one seemed to be the school’s latest rumor of choice to explain his unexpected absence.

That one irked Grace. As if Daniel would even need performance enhancing drugs to up his game. He was too naturally talented for that. 

“I heard he’s still in the hospital recovering from surgery,” Kelsey informed the girls as they gathered in a circle in the courtyard. “I texted him to see how he’s doing.”

“And?” Zoya urged.

“Nothing. He hasn’t responded. It’s totally cool though, I understand. He’s just dealing with so much right now.” Kelsey explained.

Grace hadn’t been to a game since October 19th’s 31-7 win over Lanier. Daniel had thrown four touchdowns. He looked unstoppable. Until he wasn’t. 

She liked telling herself that she was too busy with the paper lately, but the truth was, she had no desire to be at the games at all anymore. Friday night football games without Daniel out on the field were just plain wrong. 

“Daniel be sipping that dumbass juice. Do you know that if he hadn't messed himself up with all of those steroids we’d actually have made it to the playoffs?” Jo said around a mouthful of Doritos.

“Jo, stop. We don’t even know that’s what happened.” Grace said before realizing that sounded an awful lot like she was defending Daniel. 

“I’m just sayin’, we also don’t know that’s _not_ what happened...” She licked the nacho cheese dust from her fingertips. 

She did have a point. No one really knew the truth. But Grace felt that Daniel deserved the benefit of the doubt as much as anyone else did. “See you guys at lunch, ‘kay? I’ve gotta drop something off for the paper real quick.” 

 

* * *

 

Grace looked at the purple accordion folder in her hands. She stashed away her latest mock up article on ‘How To Get Involved in the Midterm Elections When You Aren’t of Voting Age' in the first section so she wouldn’t forget to drop it off to Poonam later. But that would have to wait. 

_ Why was she doing this again?  _

She peeked at the section behind, designated “Pre-Calc” by the type-written tabs she had meticulously spent the time to make. Organization was the key to success and all that. She pulled out an accumulation of two weeks' worth of pre-calc notes that were carefully stapled together.

She supposed she didn’t really need them anymore. The exam on the stapled material was last week for them, and she passed it with flying colors. She was just helping out a fellow student in need, that’s all.

Grace turned the corner and spotted Jordan right away; it wasn’t really too hard to miss him with his Bouldin letterman jacket and signature pompadour. He was grabbing something out of his locker. _It's now or never, Grace. Just suck it up._

“Hey,” Grace tapped his shoulder. Jordan turned around to face her. “I’m Grace… Olsen?” He just stared at her. Did she grow a third eye or something? “Friend of Megan's?” 

He chuckled. “I’m just fucking with you. Of course I know who you are, sweetheart.” 

“Right. Anyways, um, Daniel and I have pre-calc together. Mr. Kolker asked me if I could lend him my notes so he doesn’t fall too far behind.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. Kolker hadn't asked her to do shit, but Jordan didn’t have to know that. “Can you just make sure that he gets these?” Grace handed Jordan the stapled packet of notes. 

Could this be any more awkward?

“Sure thing. Bet he’ll enjoy the reading material. That lucky bastard gets to do take home exams for the next month.” Jordan shoved the notes into his backpack. So much for keeping them in pristine condition. “My GPA could sure as hell use a trip to the hospital, that’s for sure.” 

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She actually did. She wasn’t sure she would be able to pull it off, but this actually went pretty smoothly. “How…" Yep, she was really doing this. But she had to know. "How is he doing?”

She didn't miss the slight flare in Jordan's eyes. “Physically? He’s recovering. He plays it off like he’s fine, but I know missing the end of the season is killing him. He’s kinda beating himself up about it.” 

That’s what she was afraid of. “Good to hear that he’s at least in the recovery stage. Thanks again for doing this.” She turned away with an exhale.

She hoped the notes donated from an anonymous source would help brighten his day up at least a little bit. It sounded like he could really use some good news right about now. Wait - anonymous? Her eyes widened in realization. She _always_ named and dated all of her damn notes.  

Fuck. Forget it. Handing them off to Jordan already took enough courage for one day to go back on it now. 

 

**MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2018, 5:34 PM**

 

A week and half in this sterile hell hole and Daniel was already itching to get up and leave. Not happening. He still had weeks left in the recovery process resulting from Friday's surgery. He looked like death warmed over. He felt even worse.

The stark white of the walls and smell of antiseptic were giving him a pounding headache. His arm hurt like a bitch despite the painkillers he just took half an hour ago. The food was shit. All he could seem to stomach was the jello, but he’d been eating that so much lately he was already starting to get sick of it. He was almost tempted to use his good arm and hurl the cup straight at the wall. 

He looked down and scowled at his left arm. An infection. MRSA, the doctors clarified. Kind of ironic that the game that could make him feel so alive was also the thing that almost killed him. Coach and some of the guys came to visit him on Saturday after his surgery the other day and Soliz told him that the doctors almost had to amputate his arm. 

He was a damn idiot. He should’ve gone to the doctor way sooner. But the thought of missing a game, let alone the entire remainder of the season, was almost unfathomable after how hard he worked to get where he was. 

God, this was so fucked up. This was not how his senior year was supposed to pan out. He was captain this year, supposed to lead them to a State Championship again after a few seasons of coming up short. His teammates were like his family, and he let them down. He let himself down. Now he was rotting away in a hospital bed.

“Honey, I’m home!” Jordan appeared in the doorway to his room. “I come with sustenance. You’re lookin' as green as that jello there, chief.” 

“You’re such a dumbass,” Daniel chuckled, looking down with a shake of his head. “Get in here.”

Jordan had been the one to visit him the most. And Hunter. Those boys were like brothers to him. He wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. They were there for him more than his own flesh and blood who were all too preoccupied with their own bullshit to actually care about him.

Clay was up at school, so he hadn’t been able to come and see him. His mom got out of bed only once to drive him when he was first admitted, which frankly shocked the hell out of him. That was more effort than his dad put in at least. He was a corporate clone constantly away on business trips. The most Daniel got from him was one measly text: “Get well, son. Shame things had to end this way.” Way to make him feel worse than he already did. Prick. 

“I stopped at Sawyer’s right after school,” Jordan handed him a foil wrapped taco. “This was some real covert ops shit, smuggling this in here. You better be happy."

“Fuckin' lifesaver, bro. I'm dying here.” Daniel began tearing into the foil with his good arm, ready to finally eat something other than shitty hospital food for a change.

“And I have something else.” Jordan dug in his bag with a smirk.

Daniel slowed his chewing and swallowed a bite of taco. “What?” he asked with a raised brow. “You got a get out of this hell hole for free card somewhere in that bag of tricks too?"

Jordan just dropped a wrinkled stack of paper on the wheeled tray in front of Daniel before planting his ass in the chair next to the bed. 

He looked down at the stack. Were these class notes? A perusal of the first page told him pre-calculus notes to be exact. The handwriting unmistakably belonged to a girl, one with a neat yet cramped script. The notes were color coded, for Christ’s sake. Who the hell did that anymore other than someone in constant control of all aspects of their life? _Loser_ , his lips fought a twitch. His eyes scanned up to the right-hand corner and his suspicions were confirmed.

 

Grace Olsen

Period 3

10/24/18

 

His heart skipped a beat. He picked up the stapled packet of paper. The painkillers must’ve been making him loopy, that was it. Grace Olsen’s notes? In his own hands? They felt like gold.

“Bro, you won’t even believe what happened today. Grace tracked me down at school and said, and I quote, ‘Can you just make sure that he gets these?’” Jordan said with a raised inflection, attempting a poor imitation of Grace’s voice. He wiggled his eyebrows. “He meaning _you_.”

“Stop fucking with me, man. She hates my guts.” 

“I’m not, I swear. How else would I have gotten these?” Jordan held out his arm in dramatic flair indicating the notes in Daniel’s hand. “She also wanted to know how you were doing.”

“Now I really know you’re screwing with me.” Daniel sighed. 

Jordan held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor, dude. All I’m saying is that the interest between you two is definitely mutual.”

A flutter of hope spread in his chest. But hope could be a real bitch. He wasn’t sure how much more disappointment he could take.

“Anyways, I gotta run, but I just wanted to say hey and drop these off for you.” He squeezed Daniel’s shoulder. “I’ll text you later.”

“Later.” He hated this moment. When Jo or one of the guys eventually had to walk out that door, leaving him alone with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company. His head was a place he was in too much lately. He really fucking hated being alone. You'd think he’d be used to it by now. He wasn’t sure he ever would be.

Daniel set the notes on the tray in front of him, carefully running his fingertips along the indentations in the page made by the press of Grace’s pen. It felt oddly personal. It was, though. A person’s handwriting was an extension of them. 

She went out of her way to make sure that he got these. Whether she had a boyfriend or not, that had to have meant she liked him a little more than she was letting on. He smiled to himself. 

With a piece of Grace sitting here in this room with him, maybe he might make it through these next few weeks. With this little piece of Grace, maybe some of the loneliness he felt might actually subside. 

Some of it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on an Instagram post made by thebouldinbeat from December 2018. I thought Daniel's answers were way too specific for Grace to not have either written the feature herself, or to have at least heard him giving his answers. He obviously answered this way to push her buttons a little. 
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BuZ72B3Aojl/

**TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH, 2018, 4:40 PM**

It felt good for Daniel to finally get his ass out of that hospital bed. Really good. He’d only been back at school for two days, but his mood was already world’s better than where it had been the past few weeks he was stuck staring at those same four white walls.

Hearing a “Daniel, my boy! Missed you!” from one of his teammates here or a “Welcome back, Daniel” uttered shyly by a random girl there as he walked down the halls had things almost feeling like they were back to normal.

The Cougars ended up getting ousted in the first round of the playoffs. Hearing that still fucking stung. They deserved to win it all. Rather than run a piece on Bouldin bringing home the hardware after a hard-fought battle at the State Championship, Soliz informed Daniel that he had signed him up for the Bouldin Beat to do a ‘Welcome Back' feature on him.

Yeah, as if he needed more smoke blown up his ass. He hadn't done anything but let this team and school down. But he wouldn’t let Soliz down this time, so he agreed to do the feature.

He didn’t really know too much about the Bouldin Beat other than that they spent the entire summer undergoing a major reorganization in hopes of reinventing their image. They even set up their own god damn Instagram page in an effort to try and connect to a generation with their phones permanently glued to their hands.

Daniel was not excluded from that generalization, however. Upon seeing the first post by the account that revealed one of the Beat staff writers as none other than Grace Olsen, he promptly tapped the _shit_ out of that follow button.

 _Maybe Grace would be the one writing his feature_ , Daniel thought as he made his way over to the Bouldin Beat staff room.

Yeah, tough shit. He wouldn’t be that lucky. She probably paid someone to pawn off the feature so she wouldn’t have to deal with him. Daniel walked through the doorway and instead was met with a very pissed-off looking Poonam, complete with a clipboard in hand, hand on hip, and foot tapping impatiently against the vinyl flooring.

“Daniel Williamson, finally. School has been out for,” Poonam looked down at the watch on her wrist for dramatics, “twelve minutes now. Normally I try to refrain from deviating from previously determined deadlines. We here at the Bouldin Beat are professionals, and would like to remain seen as such.” Jesus, this girl really needed to get out more. “If you have to meet a deadline where I’m concerned in the future, please respect it.”

Did this chick even realize he was probably doing her a favor by agreeing to do this feature? “Sorry ‘bout that, won’t happen again.” Daniel replied. No lies there, he liked his balls in tact instead of in Poonam’s hands thank you very much.

“Have a seat and we’ll commence with the interview.” Man, every word that came out of her mouth sounded like she had rehearsed them in advance of the job interview of her life. Daniel sat down at one of the low tables.

The clacking of nails on a keyboard distracted Daniel from his thoughts. He looked over to the desk near the window in the room. With sunlight spilling into the room through the blinds and framing those gorgeous features, there sat Grace Olsen not even ten feet away from him. _Damn, she was a sight for sore eyes._

They hadn’t directly spoken since she dropped the boyfriend bomb on him back in September. She wanted her space, and he had respected that. Didn’t have to like it, but he sure as hell respected it. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed her sneaking a few glances his way in Kolker’s class. He still hadn’t thanked her for lending him those notes. He knew he needed to, but he also didn’t want to make an even bigger ass out of himself than he already had as far as she was concerned.

“So the concept is a bit of a ‘Get To Know You’ feature,” Poonam explained to him. “We’ve already asked the same exact questions to some of those who claim to know you best, so all we need to complete the feature are your answers.”

Daniel noticed Grace out of the corner of his eye looking off from her computer screen and slightly turning her head in efforts to hear him and Poonam better. _Such an adorable loser._ She really thought she was so sneaky. Maybe this would be a little bit of fun after all.

“Sounds good. Hit me.” Daniel set his bag on the ground and got comfortable, crossing his brown Iron Ranger boots at the ankles.

“What is your favorite movie?” He almost burst out laughing. Really, Poonam? These were the burning questions? Not _‘How does it feel to have let your entire team down when you knew everyone was counting on you?’_ or _‘How do you deal with the fact that you're a complete fraud and failure?’_

Daniel looked over at the back of Grace’s head, and contemplated for a moment before deciding on his answer. “Dumb and Dumber.” He made sure his voice carried just a little louder that time.

He noticed her back go stiff as she peeked over her shoulder again, no doubt hearing his intentional answer. Of course Daniel knew that Mary Swanson was a fictional character from the cult classic movie Dumb and Dumber. He also knew that **_maryswanson01_** was the Instagram handle of choice belonging to the brunette spitfire sitting in the corner of this room.

He chuckled to himself. Messing with her was too damn easy. And fun.

“Favorite color?” Poonam prompted him with the next question.

“Blue.” He answered without missing a beat. That wasn’t a lie though; he probably owned enough blue shirts to open up his own damn store. But that also just so happened to be the same shade as a pair of eyes that once bore into his own gaze as the word ‘ _move_ ’ was uttered with so much defiance and fire. He'd been fucked ever since that moment, if he was being completely honest with himself. He seemed to see that particular shade of blue every time he closed his eyes now.

Poonam scribbled his answer on her pad of paper. “How about a favorite snack? What does Daniel Williamson like to eat when not subjecting his body to the strict dietary regiments an athletic physique demands?”

This girl was truly exhausting to talk to. “Milkshakes.” He answered. Okay, that answer had absolutely nothing to do with Grace. He just really fucking wanted a milkshake right now. He was finally out of the hospital and football season was over, so sue him.

“And one final question for our time together,” Poonam said. “Favorite spot in Austin?”

He almost said Zilker. Almost. He couldn’t wait for the roar of the crowd at Austin City Limits next October. Nothing compared to that.

But there was also one other place. And he couldn’t pass up the opportunity of mentioning it with Grace sitting right here. She had been listening to him and Poonam the whole time he’d been sitting there, as sneaky as she thought she was being.

He answered with a smirk. “My bed.” It’s almost like Grace could sense him as he stared at her while giving Poonam her answer.

Grace coughed and Daniel heard the scrape of metal chair legs against the tile as she picked up her books and breezed past him out of the room. She smelled like warm vanilla, so fucking sweet. Was he allowed to change his previous answers? He was almost tempted to clarify _vanilla_ milkshakes were his favorite.

He had to smile. He could push back just as good as she showed that she could push him.

But she really shouldn’t knock it before she tried it. His bed, that is. A California king with pillows galore and a soft down comforter? Pure fucking heaven. The right side was there wide open and waiting for her. No one else was helping him keep it company, that was for sure. _Shut the fuck up, man. It’s not happening._

The more he thought about it, it really was a great spot in Austin. With Grace lying curled up beside him, his arm around her, hand lazily stroking through her hair, it might even be the best.

Maybe one day she’d see for herself.

If it was one thing that Daniel had time to grapple with during those weeks in the hospital, it's that he may be down, but he'd never be out.

Daniel Williamson was back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some missing moments from Grace and Daniel's first date.
> 
> All original dialogue contained in this chapter is credited to the writers of the episode, Karen DiConcetto and Jessie Kahnweiler.

**FRIDAY, MARCH 29** **TH** **, 2019, 6:17 PM**  

"You look insane.” Eve admired from from her spot sprawled out on Grace’s bed. “Hey, you deserve to be taken out, and treated well, okay? Even if it’s just for tonight.” Eve tried her best to assure Grace ahead of the “not date” that she had been nervously counting down the minutes to all week long. Eve always knew what to say at times like these, even if she was an anti-knocking bed stealer. 

Grace looked down at her feet in thought. _Treated well?_ To Grace, it seemed like a foreign concept. Her own parents were pretty much absent, choosing to remain in Dallas and out of her life. It’s almost like they were all too eager to get rid of her when she expressed her desire to move to Austin and live with Eve and her aunt. Knowing that her absence had no effect on them was like a knife in Grace’s stomach.  

And don’t even get her started on Kyle, that sad excuse for an ex “boyfriend.” The minute he got what he wanted, he had no qualms about bragging to his friends and sitting by doing nothing while the entire school called her a slut and sent her death threats. A real prince. Yeah, Grace was only familiar with being treated like  _shit._ She’d never let anyone have the power or opportunity to hurt her again. Now, her heart was firmly guarded by walls of iron.

The chime of the doorbell tore Grace from her thoughts. 

“Okay, did this dude just ring the doorbell?” Eve rolled over to get off the bed, turning to Grace. “We have a doorbell?”  

She couldn’t even appreciate Eve’s joke, the butterflies were fluttering in Grace’s stomach full force now. Daniel really was pulling out all the stops for this “date”. She was expecting some curt text telling her that he was waiting outside. Would he really show up at her door to walk her to his car together? It wasn’t a grand gesture or anything, but it was still surprisingly considerate.  _God, he was such a damn cliché._   

 _“_ I’ll be out in a minute,” Grace told Eve.  

“Yeah, yeah, take your time. I’m gonna go ‘Dad’ him hard.” Okay, now  _that_ was something Grace wished she could witness.  

“Okay.” Grace scrutinized the reflection staring back at her in the mirror. At the high-waisted checkered pants, form-fitting black knit top, Russian Red from MAC painted on her lips. She looked too polished, like she actually put in the effort to look good for him. Grace didn’t want to give Daniel Williamson the satisfaction of knowing that she tried at all. This wasn’t for him. She was doing this for Kelsey.  

Fine, if he wanted this date so bad, she’d give him the damn date. Grace spotted the pile of sweats laying on her chair that she wore the other day to walk Pixie after school. She stripped each piece of clothing off, throwing on the pair of sweats in haste, shoving her perfectly blown-out and waved hair up in a messy bun.  

 _Daniel would just have to deal with it_ _,_ she thought as she wiped the crimson red off of her lips. 

__________________ 

“Dude, I love Ringo Deathstarr.” Grace heard Eve as she walked out into the hallway, closing the door to her room behind her.  

“Did you see them at South by?” She also heard that velvety smooth voice, goosebumps trying their best to break the surface of her skin. 

“Yeah, it was a little too crowded for me, though. All those industry douches.” Grace stared intently in the direction they were talking. Was Eve actually vibing with Daniel? On top of not knowing how to knock, she was also a traitor now, apparently.  

“Yeah, well they had a secret show.” Daniel responded. 

“What? Shut up, no they didn’t.”   

Grace made her way down the hallway, her chin raised proudly as she walked. She’d be damned if she showed this phased her at all.  

“Yeah, seriously. It was, um-” She heard Daniel lose his train of thought as she had finally made her way into both his and Eve’s line of sight.  

He did a once-over of her appearance. So much for her feeling unaffected. His gaze swept over every inch of her from head to toe. She really hated how he had the habit of disarming her with just one look.  

Daniel’s expression was soft as he nodded in appreciation, “You look beautiful.” She only heard sincerity in his voice. Grace’s mouth parted in shock.  _Well that was unexpected._ She was wearing fucking sweatpants, for crying out loud. Did he not even realize the amount of effort she put in to look like she hadn’t put in any effort at all?  

“Wore my best outfit just for you, Donald.” Grace gestured to the ensemble of baggy cotton. She tried to sound unaffected, but knew she was failing miserably. 

He just smiled at that. “Ready to go? It was nice meeting you, Eve.” Daniel made his way back onto the porch, waiting for Grace.  

“Same here, dude. Don’t be a stranger.” Grace walked past Eve, but not before turning to give her a parting glare. Eve mouthed “ _Don’t forget to wrap it up”,_  and Grace rolled her eyes, having heard enough. Like she’d ever let  _that_ happen.  

Grace met Daniel at the bottom of the steps and immediately saw his shiny Mercedes parked in front of the large oak tree in front of her house. She’d only seen his new car up close that one other time, when he had found out that she in fact did  _not_ have a boyfriend. Kelsey told her that the car was an 18th birthday present from his parents. It was a SLS AMG Black Series, whatever the hell that meant. All she knew was that it cost a pretty penny, upwards of $300k. She probably shouldn’t have been impressed by this, but she was. 

It was a nice fucking car, she had to admit. But she’d never let Daniel know that. 

Daniel opened Grace’s door for her as she sat down inside and closed it herself. Of course, he would. She was met with the musky aroma of his cologne. He always smelled so damn good. She inhaled a few times, savoring those few stolen moments in the five seconds it took Daniel to round the front of the car and hop in the driver’s seat. 

He started the car with a rev of the engine.  _Such a show off_. There were those damned butterflies again. 

“So where are we going? You  _have_ had over a year to plan this.” Grace peeked at him from the side as they made their way through the Austin city streets.  

“Do people not appreciate a good surprise anymore? Besides, we have a fake ex-boyfriend to thank for that one.” He teased, turning to smile at her. 

Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. Not one of her finer moments.  

They sat in silence as Grace took in and appreciated the architecture of the city. It was only when they approached a street sign displaying  _Congress Avenue_ that she finally understood where they were going. Ever since moving to Austin, she had gone on and on about seeing the infamous bats, each attempt at seeing them a complete failure. How could she have forgotten? Her most recent failed attempt was posted for all of Instagram to see. Daniel had even liked the post, which upon receiving the notification made Grace’s heart race a little faster. 

“They won’t even come out tonight. This is a waste of time.” Grace decided to let Daniel know she was on to his plan. 

“Are you sure about that? I mean, I  _am_ Batman. I have connections.” Did the rest of the school know he was this big of a dork, or was she the only one lucky enough to witness it? 

“Sure you do.” Was all Grace said as the next few minutes were spent in silence as Daniel attempted to find a parking spot. There were a lot of people here tonight. She thought their date would be somewhere secluded, but she got the feeling that he wasn’t ashamed at being seen with her or having people know that he was into her. Grace on the other hand, needed things to be kept discreet. For Kelsey’s sake. 

Daniel finally found a spot and put the car in park. He unbuckled and flashed her that signature crooked smirk. “Grace.” He prompted. 

She rolled her eyes in frustration. “They’re not coming out tonight.”  

“Actually, they are-” 

Grace interrupted him before he could finish. “I’ve tracked the bats’ schedules all year, okay? I know.” 

He continued smiling. “I’ve seen the pics.” Yeah, she knew. “Bat dork.” Daniel sunk his teeth into his bottom lip, staring at her. 

“Stalker.” Grace actually felt herself smiling as he looked over at her in mock horror.  

“Yeah, I’ve lived here all my life. That bats are coming out tonight,” he grabbed his backpack from the back seat and opened the driver’s side door. “Trust me.” 

Grace reluctantly got out of the car. They had to trek a bit through the park trails to make their way to the prime viewing spot near the bridge. Daniel decided to keep the conversation going. 

“My grandparents, uh, they used to take us here all the time when I was a kid.” He seemed nervous to reveal something so personal, which was throwing her off. He was always so sure of himself. “When the bats would finally come out, I actually used to pretend I was Batman.” Grace eyed him skeptically. This was her first glimpse at the Daniel Williamson that wasn’t wearing the mask. She saw him smiling to himself, lost in his memories. But it quickly turned melancholy as he added, so softly she almost didn’t catch it, “Always Janie’s favorite part.” 

 _Janie? Who was that?_ She wasn’t sure he meant for her to hear that. Grace decided to leave it as they continued to walk in silence. 

They continued the same game they’d been playing for as long as she knew him, stealing shy glances at each other as they walked. Without him carrying the conversation, the air around them started to feel awkward. Grace rolled her eyes. 

“How’s the paper going?” Daniel must’ve sensed the awkwardness himself, because he tried to keep the conversation flowing again. She had to appreciate his effort, really.  

“Good.” She stuck to her one-word answers, not giving him any more. Like he even really cared how it was going. 

He nodded, knowing that was all he was going to get out of her. “That article you wrote on economic inequality, that was... That was cool.” 

Grace looked at Daniel softly in disbelief. “You actually read that?”  

“Yeah, I mean... It’s crazy that women still get paid less than men doing the same thing.” 

Did Grace not even a week ago label Daniel as someone who never read or gave a shit about anything going on in the world? Now here he was praising her feminist articles. Sure, he probably only read it because Grace’s name was attached to it, but the fact that he did read the words she wrote made her heart grow a little in her chest.  

She looked Daniel up and down. “Patriarchy never rests.” 

“So what are your plans to stop it?” He genuinely seemed like he was curious to hear her answer. 

Grace had to laugh at the ludicrous thought. “What? The invisible system of oppression that’s literally the root of all evil? Yeah, let me get right on that.” How would she even begin to shatter the glass ceiling on her own? 

Daniel slowed his gait and looked at her with a smile in his voice, “Well if anyone could, I think it would be you.” The way he was looking at her just now made Grace digest his words. Like he actually believed in her. Like he thought her capable. She wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of encouragement and praise, from anyone. Ever. 

“Yeah, it’s not that simple.” She was being self-deprecating now. “I mean, it’s everywhere.” 

“Well, it’s not out here.” Daniel gestured to their surroundings. 

Kelsey’s face flashed in Grace’s head. “It is.” How Daniel had thought he could get away with how he treated her. “It’s you.” She reminded him as she refused to break eye contact this time.  

Daniel seemed to be churning Grace’s words in his head as he crossed his arms, looking her in the eyes. “Got it.”  

They walked in silence for the remainder of the way before finding an open bench near the bridge. Daniel sat down first and Grace took a seat at the other end of the bench, leaving a healthy amount of space in between them. She saw him unzipping his backpack, handing her a plastic container. Kale salad? She’d been wondering why he brought his bag with him, and there was her answer. He was feeding her. Healthy food, too. She loved kale. How he constantly knew all these little details about her was beyond Grace. 

They ate in silence as Daniel again attempted to start conversation. 

“Your cousin’s cool. You all live together?” Grace didn’t think he was lying, either. Him and Eve really did look like they were getting along. This boy had everyone wrapped around his finger it seemed; charisma was one of his strongest attributes.  

“Yeah, and my aunt. But she tours a lot, so it’s mostly just us.” Grace was perfectly okay with that. She’d had to grow up quickly with no real adult figure in her life, and she was doing just fine on her own. 

Daniel continued his interrogation. “And your parents?”  

How about useless? Non-existent? Unloving? She decided to settle for, “Back in Dallas.” She took a bite of the kale. 

“You close?”  

God, why did he even care? After this one date they’d be done. So why did he fucking care so much? “Why do you care?”  

"Because I like you.” His answer was so direct. So matter-of-fact. Kelsey was right, Daniel was someone who knew what he wanted. 

Grace couldn’t even understand why she appealed to him so much. She hadn’t said one kind thing to him in the time they had known each other. “Why? I’m such a dick to you.” It was a defense mechanism for her really. If she kept people at a distance, they wouldn’t be able to hurt her. 

“Why do you like me, Grace?” She hated how he was always challenging her to analyze her thoughts and feelings head on. Why  _did_ she like Daniel, despite all of her lies that told her she felt otherwise? He was a fuckboy. He used people. He didn’t care about anyone but himself. But he was also... Determined. Loyal to his friends. Showed he might actually care about her. 

She didn’t want to entertain him today. “I’m here for Kelsey.” 

“Bull. Shit.” Seems like he didn’t feel like entertaining her little games anymore, either. 

“Excuse me?”  

“You’re acting like I forced you to be here, or something.” He had a point. Despite her reluctance and nerves about going on this date, she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t slightly looking forward to spending some alone time with him finally. “I mean, you could’ve just told Kelsey the truth.” 

Oh, so now it was her fault? Asshole. “What, that you’re an asshole?”  

“That there’s nothing between you and me,” He raised his brows, goading her with a tilt of his head. “Right?” 

He saw right through her. There  _was_ something between them, and she couldn’t deny it anymore.  

She huffed in defeat. “Whatever.” _Really dignified response there, Grace._ She looked at him with fire in her eyes, a place of comfort where interacting with Daniel was concerned. She wasn’t used to being vulnerable around him. “You treated Kelsey like crap. Had sex with her, didn’t use a condom, and then threw her out like a piece of trash.” She knew he had since apologized, but saying what he did out loud again helped justify the anger she felt right now. “What you did... It was disgusting.” 

“That’s not what happened,” Daniel began. “She wanted to hook up with me, okay? And when I asked her if she wanted to use a condom, she said it was all good.”  

She couldn’t even believe him right now. “Even if Kelsey didn’t want to use a condom, it’s still your responsibility to take care of that.” 

“She’s not a baby. She can make her own decisions.” Daniel replied in exasperation. She thought about his words. It’s not like she was there with Daniel and Kelsey in the room. Kelsey was a big girl completely capable of making her own decisions. And if she didn’t want to use a condom, much against Grace’s insistence she use one last year, that was her choice to make.  

“Okay, but last time I checked, women couldn’t impregnate themselves. It’s on  _you._  You had sex with her, and them shamed her for having feelings about it.” Was Daniel seriously fucking laughing right now? “She hasn’t eaten carbs since. You fuck us over, and we blame ourselves.”  

She heard him burst out in laughter this time. He hadn’t changed at all, had he? He was still that same asshole from last year. She was seriously pissed off right now. “What?!” 

“You have, uh, a little-” Daniel gestured to his face. 

Grace didn’t give him the chance to explain. “Little? You’re talking about little and you’re, are you seriously trying to mansplain this to me right now?” 

“No. Grace.” He interrupted. “You have a big ass piece of kale on your teeth.”  

She quickly turned away from him. This was even more mortifying than when he found out she lied about having a boyfriend. She discreetly tried to pick out the offending leaf from her teeth which minimal luck. Daniel couldn’t contain his laughter now. His smile was infectious, because Grace couldn’t seem to fight her own anymore either as she finally got the leaf out and flicked it into the container. She playfully bumped Daniel in the arm with her elbow. “It’s not- stop staring.” She looked down, shy laughter bubbling from her lips. 

Somehow during the length of their discussion, the space between them seemed to disappear. Grace could feel the heat from Daniel’s body as her thigh was nearly pressed up against his. His hand was centimeters from her knee. She was suddenly thanking god that her grey peacoat was concealing the goosebumps that suddenly appeared all over her body. 

She looked up again as he told her, “I hear you.” Looking into his eyes, she believed that he did. That her words had gotten through to him. That he understood he fucked up for how he treated Kelsey last year, for not using a condom, for living up to the heartless fuckboy stereotype. And when he said “I’m sorry,” she believed him. He was being sincere with her now. 

Their eyes seemed to trace over every inch of each other's faces, every detail, both of them taking turns breaking eye contact and diverting their gazes to each other's lips. Grace actually felt herself start to lean in.  

The spell was broken when Daniel’s phone began to ring.  _What the fuck are you doing, Grace. Stop. You can’t have feelings for Daniel,_ she thought to herself as Daniel checked his phone. After glancing at the screen, he silenced it and looked at her again, hoping they would pick up from where they had just left off. 

She leaned in again slightly, telling her subconscious to fuck off. All she could seem to stare at were those soft lips. If he decided to kiss her in that moment, she could honestly say that she would have let him. 

Daniel’s phone rang once more. “I gotta take this. Yeah, what’s up?” He answered. Whoever it was on the other end of the line, it sounded urgent. “Slow down. Okay, yeah. I’ll be there. Yeah. Bye.” He sighed as he hung up. “I gotta go.” He turned to Grace with reluctance in his eyes. “I can drop you... off.” 

“I’m good,” Grace feigned nonchalance about the prospect of him leaving her. “I’m gonna stay here and watch the bats.”  

“Okay.” Daniel said softly. He picked up his bag and slowly began walking away. 

The moment of weakness she had just felt with him minutes ago had passed. She forced the clarity to return to her head. “Just so we’re clear, I did it." She called after his retreating form. “I did the date. We’re done, right?” 

“Yeah Grace, we’re done.” Daniel shuffled his phone from one hand to the other as he turned away, leaving Grace to her own thoughts.  

This date was a year in the making, and now it was over? Just like that? Tonight, she had finally gotten a glimpse of a different side of Daniel. The  _real_ side of him.  

Worry furrowed her brows. But she wanted this the whole time, hadn’t she? For them to be “done”? She didn’t owe him anything anymore. She should be relieved.  

So why did she feel anything but?  

 **FRIDAY, MARCH 29** **TH** **, 2019,** **7:38** **PM**  

"There they are!” Grace heard a child clapping and jumping up and down below in the field in front of her. 

She looked up to her left, and sure enough, there they were. A colony of the infamous Austin bats streaked across the sky, directly overhead. It was as magnificent as she hoped it would be. 

Grace grabbed her phone and quickly took a few shots to document the historic moment.  

 _Daniel was right, they did come out after all._   

After the bats had vacated, Grace looked to her left at the empty spot on the bench where Daniel should’ve been. He didn’t even know it, but he had just made one of her dreams a reality. Just knowing that he had actually  _noticed_ her, and took her somewhere she would enjoy herself for their date, had her feeling both grateful and melancholic because he wasn’t here with her now. Whatever news he received over the phone had to have been an emergency, because she couldn’t imagine he would just bail on her after how much he expressed he was looking forward to spending time alone together. 

She looked down at her phone, the picture of the bats in flight she just took on display. She might have taken it for herself, but she couldn’t help but admit that she also snapped the shots for Daniel too. For what he missed. From what he told her, he had gotten to witness the bats many times before, but Grace had a feeling seeing them with her would have been a very different experience for him. 

Grace was almost tempted to text him a picture of the bats. To let him know that she ended up enjoying herself. A silent thank you for seeing her. For hearing her.  

But she decided against it. She had just told them they were done, anyway. She’d just have to settle for posting it on Instagram tomorrow, hoping that he would see it and get the message. 

Somehow, she knew that he would. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on a text thread between Grace and Daniel the morning after their diner date where he invites her over to his house for breakfast. Cuteness ensues. 
> 
> https://66.media.tumblr.com/bbad02a04b1b6e2d47ad1b4aa5baa98d/tumblr_ppwogpO5Lt1rtvncw_640.jpg

**SATURDAY, APRIL 13** **TH** **, 2019, 9:52 AM**  

The buzzing coming from her nightstand roused Grace from her light sleep. Daniel had dropped her off at her house a little after two-thirty in the morning, but Grace couldn’t seem to get herself to fall asleep. She felt _giddy_. High, almost. Even though she had made the active choice not to drink alcohol, she had an inkling that being drunk might feel a little something like the effect of Daniel’s dizzying kisses he had given her only hours before. 

Being at Sawyer’s with him at two o’clock in the morning, Grace wasn’t sure there was anywhere else she would rather be. The bustling of the daytime Austin traffic had died down, the night air was slightly hazy and quiet. It was almost like her and Daniel existed in their own private pocket of the world, designated just for them. Where time was an illusion, and everyone else sitting in that diner didn’t even exist. Only they existed. 

Grace rolled over and reached for her phone on the nightstand. 

 **_Good morning_ ** 

It was Daniel. She bit her bottom lip as she failed to suppress a giant smile from forming. She wondered if Daniel had trouble sleeping last night too after he had dropped her off. 

 **_Come over and I'll make you pancakes_ ** 

Daniel cooking for her? Now she was beaming.  ** _New phone, who_** ** _this?,_** she texted back. Just because of what had transpired between them the night before didn’t mean Grace didn’t still enjoy making him jump through a few hoops. 

Her phone buzzed again and she was met with a picture of Daniel. A very  _shirtless_ picture of Daniel. Oh, he was good. The hunter green sheets were a dead giveaway he was laying in his bed while texting her. Just the thought of that gave way to a faint flutter low in her belly. She remembered all too well the last time she was in that exact same bed with him looking just like that. Daniel’s body heat radiating from behind her while he was laying only inches away from her. Their silly pillow fight. The smell of his sheets. The way he had looked at her. She wanted back in that bed. Badly. 

Trying to keep it cool, she quickly typed back,  ** _!! stranger you have a great jawline._** She only spoke the truth. He really did. 

Her phone buzzed in response.  ** _You are the worst._ ** 

Grace could practically see Daniel shaking his head through the screen at her teasing. She was enjoying this way too much. 

 **_Pretty sure I’m hilarious_** , Grace typed. No response.  ** _You_** ** _doooo_** ** _look familiar. Donald was it??_ **That always got a rise out of him. 

That one got a thumbs down, followed up with a  ** _I take back the pancakes_**. He meant business. 

Grace was done playing. And she really wanted those damn pancakes.  ** _Wait_** ** _wait_** ** _wait_** ** _DANIEL,_** she replied back. 

Looking at the pink heart that had suddenly appeared next to her text, she knew she was back in his good graces. 

 **_Blueberry or chocolate chip?_ ** 

Truly, she didn’t give a fuck which. As long as it was an excuse to see him again.  ** _See you in 20_** ** _,_** she typed out and hit send as she threw some clothes on, practically running out of the house.  

She wasn't sure she could’ve waited twenty-one minutes to see him. 

 

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later, Grace parked in Daniel’s driveway and made her way up to the front door. The last time she was here she was in nothing but a hurry to leave.  _Nobody,_ had been his parting word. But if last night had anything to say for it, she was anything but nobody to him. She never  _was_ nobody to him. 

Now Grace was free to take her time and admire the architecture and landscape while walking up the long path. In the daylight, it looked even more like a damn museum. She still couldn’t believe he actually lived here. 

She rang the bell and waited with butterflies in her stomach. Grace wasn’t sure what the game plan was here. She didn’t even know what the hell her and Daniel technically were. They never put a label on anything last night. And what were they going to do about Kelsey? Grace really couldn’t deny her feelings for Daniel anymore, there was no going back. It was not a matter of  _if_ they were going to tell her, it was now a matter of  _when_.  

The door creaked open, and there he was. He was in black basketball shorts and a loose grey muscle tee. His hair looked adorably messy. “Morning, loser,” Daniel greeted her with a grin, closing the distance between them to press a soft kiss to her lips. Grace smiled into the kiss at the familiar yet unconventional term of endearment. It was so very them. She melted into the kiss, pretty sure she would never get tired of this feeling. 

Resting her forehead against his, she quietly responded, “Morning.” 

“Missed you.” Daniel said as he reached over to tuck a lock of hair behind her right ear. His touch was almost as soft as his kiss just now.  

“Donald, it’s only been eight hours since we’ve seen each other.” She giggled. Apparently, she was a giggler now. That’s what finally giving into your feelings after a year of repressing them did to people.  

“Can you really blame me?” He teased. She couldn’t fault him; she’d been just as eager about seeing him again. “Also did we not establish in writing that ‘Donald’ equals zero pancakes?” Grace narrowed her eyes at him. She wanted to kiss that smug grin right off his face. 

“I forgot, I forgot. I take it back!” She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and played with the curling hair at his nape. “Please feed me, I’m starving.” She pouted her lips. 

“You’re lucky you look so cute right now. Get in here, loser.” He put his arm around her waist as he closed the door and led them into the kitchen.  

It looked like he was mid-cook before she rang the bell, the ingredients for their pancake feast strewn about the kitchen counter haphazardly. Grace sat down at the island and smiled. He even had flour on his cheek. He was trying, and it was really fucking adorable.  

“You never answered what kind you wanted, so welcome to IHOWP.” Daniel walked behind the counter, indicating to the mess and continued making the batter for the second batch of pancakes. “International House of Williamson Pancakes.” He was such a dork. 

“You are such a dork,” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “But I think I’m feeling chocolate chip today.”  

“Good deal, I was gonna have the blueberry anyways.” He said as he poured the batter into the pan with a sizzle. “Looks like we were a match made in heaven.” Grace’s mouth parted at his admission. She didn’t have a witty enough response to that.  

“So... no Fyre Fest today?” Grace looked around the kitchen. 

“What?” Daniel asked as he flipped a pancake. 

“Your brother.” 

He burst out in laughter. “Damn, that was pretty good. I’m gonna have to steal that one. But nah, he just popped in for the weekend, he does that sometimes. He’s back up at school now.” He scooped the pancakes out of the pan and into a plate and headed for the fridge. He turned around with a twinkle in his eye, “Just you and me today.” 

Good. She liked it just him and her.  

“Coffee? OJ? Milk? What are we feeling today?” Daniel actually cooking her a homemade breakfast and being so accommodating was making Grace’s heart burst.  

“Orange juice is fine.” She smiled as he took out the carton and poured her a glass of juice.  

She took the glass from his hands as he closed the fridge and grabbed their plates with the steaming pancakes. “We could eat out on the deck, or here, or... wherever really.” 

Grace grinned. “How about breakfast in bed?” 

“Always knew you were smarter than me.” He said as they made their way down the hall and headed for his bedroom.  

The large fixed window in his room let in an abundance of natural light. The view was to die for. Daniel got in the left side of the bed, and Grace got in the right. It was odd, but she already felt like they kind of had their own sides of the bed. Being with Daniel just felt comfortable. It felt right.  

She crossed her legs, dug into the pancakes and moaned at the first bite hitting her taste buds, “This is too good.” 

Grace saw heat flare in Daniel’s eyes as he grinned into his own bite, “Mark it down ladies and gentleman. April 13th, 2019, Grace Olsen just complimented me.” 

She pushed him playfully in the shoulder, “Shut up or I’ll take it back.” 

They ate in a comfortable silence until their breakfast was gone. Daniel took her plate and placed it on his nightstand to clean up later. He turned to sit in front of her, crossing his own legs and reaching out to rest his hands on her thighs.  

He began tracing tiny circles with his fingertips on her outer thighs and her skin immediately broke out into goosebumps. She both loved and hated how reactive she was to his touch. It almost always gave away how she felt about him. Grace placed her hands over the top of his that were currently drawing the soothing circles on her skin. 

She looked up at him, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes. She couldn't remember a time she was  _this_ happy. She closed the distance between them once again and pressed her lips to his. Her lips parted as her tongue slid into his mouth to taste his. He tasted so good. Like blueberries and Daniel.  

She broke the kiss and whispered against his lips, “What are we doing?”  

“Thought it was pretty obvious we were about to make out,” He teased.  

Grace swatted him in the arm. “I’m serious. What is this?” She indicated between them. “What do we even tell Kelsey?” 

“Look, Grace. When the time comes, we’ll just have to tell her. I don’t give a shit about labels. All I know is that I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, and I don’t want to be with anyone else.” He lifted his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear while his thumb began to stroke her cheek. “Just being with you is enough for me.” 

“I don’t want to be with anyone else, either, Daniel.” She told him. It had taken her a long time to reach this point, but she spoke nothing but the truth now. 

Daniel rolled her under him on the bed, caging her in with his arms. “Okay, then.” He smiled and whispered against her lips before claiming them once again. “Say it again.” 

Grace opened her eyes slowly, pulling away from his drugging kiss. “What?” 

“My name.” Daniel ran his thumb across her bottom lip. “I just love hearing you say it.” 

Grace kind of did too. He was so close on top of her like this. She looked up into his eyes this time, “Daniel.”  

She ran her hands over the defined muscles in his arms as he peppered kisses along her jawline, making his way back to her mouth where his tongue quickly began its exploration again. Grace had been in such a rush to get to his house, she had hastily put on the first thing she could find. Ironically, it was a thin pair of shorts. Which she was now entirely reminded of as Daniel brushed the fabric with his hand on the way to reach and guide her legs around his waist.  

She pushed on his chest, and he reluctantly broke away. “Uh uh, nope. No studying before marriage, buddy, remember?” She rolled out from under him and out of the side of the bed.  

Daniel laid back against the headboard with one arm behind his head, smiling at her. “I remember, loser. And I meant what I said last night, it’s fine.” She knew he was being serious. He would never push her to go farther than she was ready to, and it was just another thing that she was beginning to love about him. “We can just watch Netflix or something, it’s no biggie.” 

She walked over to the dresser by his mirror to try and distract herself from her own raging hormones. She had seen the stack laying there the last time she was in this room, but now she had more time to get a closer look. Laying on his dresser was a pile of developed photographs, mostly of landscapes or cityscapes.  

She picked up the stack to thumb through the photos. “Are these yours?” She turned around to face Daniel. 

He suddenly looked down, a little shy, which Grace thought was adorable. “Yeah, I took those. Not that they’re any good, it’s just a stupid way to kill the time.”  

He was being too modest. “Stop it. These are amazing.” Grace admired that Daniel had taken the time to stop and appreciate the world’s natural beauty to snap these shots. “You have a really good eye.” She grinned up at him, knowing he would appreciate it; he probably wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of any type of praise. She already knew his parents were basically absent in his life.  _Kind of like herself in that way_ , she guessed.   

“Thanks.” His smile back at her was genuine.  

“You’re welcome.” 

She returned the photos back into their neat pile. That’s when she saw it. On the corner of his chair next to the dresser.  

A newspaper. Open to a specific page. Her name.  

 _5 Things You Need to Know: Palm Oil by Grace Olsen, Bouldin Beat Staff Writer_  

It was the exact same edition she had offered him weeks ago as a peace offering, only to have him reject it. She understood his reaction at the time; he didn’t really owe her anything at that point. Especially after she told him she was done with him after he had abruptly left their date.  

A grin broke out on her face as she picked up the article. He was so busted. He really did give her way too much ammunition to tease him. She dangled the article from her fingertips in front of him. “Thought you didn’t want a Bouldin Beat?” 

His cheeks stained an adorable red as he grabbed the pillow next to him and covered his face with it. “Hunter had an extra,” Daniel’s reply came out muffled as he spoke into the pillow. 

“Sure he did.  _Daniel_.” She laughed and dropped the paper back on the chair. 

Grace made her way back over to the bed, where she gently grabbed the pillow from his hands and set it down next to him. She leaned over to give him a soft peck on the lips. She loved how she could do that any time she wanted now. It was a simple act that she wouldn’t take for granted. “Come on,” she grabbed his hand as he began to roll out of the bed. “Let’s go watch something.” 

Grace smiled as Daniel laced their fingers together as they made their way out of his room. 

The smile never left her face for the rest of the day. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> well, i'm baaaack.
> 
> skipping around a bit, but i wanted to a write a little bit of my own canon imagining what these two were up to for the holidays!
> 
> also, i might have learned how to make my own text threads which i'm having way too much fun with.
> 
> enjoy :)

**WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18** **TH** **, 2019 3:29 PM**  

[ ](https://ibb.co/X3KrBfQ)

Grace didn’t mean to be acting like a bratty teenager doling out the silent treatment like that. Daniel didn’t deserve it, she was just being ridiculous. Okay, maybe he deserved it a little... _So sue her, she missed her fucking boyfriend!_ Why was she even punishing him like this? it’s not as if the distance was any easier for him to deal with than it was for her. 

The summer before he went off to college had been pure heaven. They spent every second they could manage to soak up together eating greasy diner food, spending afternoons at the lake, tangled up in their bedsheets until late morning... Grace didn’t know how good she had it until Fall rolled around. She still couldn’t believe how far they had come; that the same arrogant boy she met last year had become one of the most important people in her life.   

The distance between Austin and Dallas might only be three hours, but Grace wasn’t sure there was a measurement in the world that could come close to quantifying the space between someone and their other half. Grace had heard all of Eve’s dating horror stories, including a long-distance relationship a few years back with some girl in California that she had met online. Not completely shocking, but it hadn’t exactly worked out. 

But her and Daniel were different. After the hell Clay had put them both through last Spring, they still had managed to come out stronger and more in love than ever. They could get through anything, and they would get through this too. They’d been getting through the distance of Daniel being up at SMU and Grace still down in Austin, but it’d been anything but easy. The last time they got to see each other was for two days during Thanksgiving break. It wasn't enough. No amount of time with him would ever be enough for Grace. To say she was struggling was putting it lightly. 

At first, they tried to alternate weekends of who would drive up or down so they could see each other, but with both of their hectic schedules it was proving to be increasingly difficult. Grace had been promoted to Senior Editor of the Bouldin Beat, perfectly coinciding with her senior year. She did it all now: the design decisions, the editing, the writing, and not to mention the hand holding of new junior staff members. With more power, comes more responsibility and all that. And if Daniel had thought high school football was tough, from what he had told Grace, he severely underestimated the demanding schedule and regiment of a Division I football program while simultaneously taking a full course load. 

That’s partially why he had been redshirted his freshman year – to condition and strengthen his existing skills, learn the play books, and develop him into the world-class player he was always destined to be. Grace could still remember the first time she saw him play in a college game. She drove up to Dallas for one of their home games and screamed so loud she lost her voice; she was so damn proud of him. She knew how hard he had worked for this, and was glad she could be there to share these highs with him. It also didn’t hurt that he looked damn good in that red uniform.  

In addition to playing limited games during the season, redshirts could pretty much do anything the rest of the team did – including travel with the team for road games. Grace glanced at her phone again at Daniel’s mention of the Bowl game. It was in Florida. Which was definitely even _further_ from Austin,Texas. 

SMU had taken her boyfriend hostage. _Bit fucking dramatic, Grace_ ** _,_** she thought to herself as she made her way out of Bouldin’s science department, finishing up with her last final for the Fall semester. She should be feeling on top of the world – in a few short months she would be graduating. But something was missing. Daniel. 

Grace pulled out her phone, opening their last text thread, poised to type a response. She really wasn’t being fair to him. 

 **_I know you killed that final._ ** 

 **_And I love you too_ ** 

 **_I just miss you so much_ ** 

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she hit send. If last year had taught her anything, it was that there is no shame in leaning on others for strength. People needed people. And she needed Daniel.  

It was almost immediately that she heard her phone buzz in her hand. 

 **_I’ll be home before you know it_** ** _♥_ ** 

Grace wiped the stray tear that rolled down her cheek as she smiled to herself a little. Daniel might physically be in Dallas these days, but he’d always still regard Grace as his home. 

 

 **SATUR** **DAY, DECEMBER** **21** **st** **, 2019** **8** **:** **56** **PM**  

[ ](https://ibb.co/vJBqFWX)

Yes, Grace watched the SMU Mustangs game. Yes, she saw they lost 28-52. Yes, she couldn't resist teasing him about it a little. 

Forget FAU, Grace was the real winner today. Daniel was finally coming home. 

 

 **TUESDAY** **, DECEMBER** **24** **th** **, 2019** **6:28** **PM**  

“Grace, can you get the door!” Eve shouted from the kitchen where she was fixing the hot chocolate as Grace had to wade her way through the ocean of wrapping paper strewn about the living room.  

Daniel had been cryptic about his whereabouts since he had gotten back from the away game. She remembered him mentioning something about doing Christmas Eve at his aunt’s house. Grace wasn’t expecting her parents either; much to her dismay they were coming down in a few days for New Years. Who the hell would be knocking on their door tonight of all nights? 

Grace made her way to the door and swung it open only to be greeted by Daniel Williamson standing on her porch with his cheeks tinged a slight pink from the chilly air, and bags stuffed with presents down at his feet. Grace’s eyes widened at the sight of him, and she didn't hesitate to launch herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as he caught her and buried his face in her neck. 

“Merry Christmas, Grace.” He whispered into her ear. 

“It is now.” She replied as he set her down and she smiled up at him, tears starting to well in her eyes. 

“Nice hat, loser.” He tugged on the pom pom of the stupid Santa hat on her head that she forgot she was wearing. It said ‘ _Bah Humbug_ ’. A gift from Eve, clearly, who thought she was hilarious. “Eve?” 

 _God, the way he just knew everything._ She bit her lip in a wide grin, “Who else would get me something this ugly?” She laced their fingers together. “Get in here, it’s freezing.” 

Daniel stepped into the foyer with his bags, closing the door as Eve came into the hall double fisting her and Grace’s hot cocoas. “Gentleman Caller! You got my text!” 

“Text?” Grace asked, looking up at Daniel. 

“Yes, I invited the Gentleman Caller over. Your real gift; the hat was just so I could get pictures of you in it for posterity.” Eve smirked as she handed Grace the steaming mug.  

Grace narrowed her eyes at her, tugging the hat off. “Funny.” 

“Thanks for the invite Eve.” Daniel smoothed Grace’s hat hair which was now in disarray, kissing her forehead. “Keep the hat on, it looks cute on you.” 

Grace smiled as she followed Daniel and Eve into the living room, slipping the hat back on her head. Yeah, she’d wear this ugly hat just for him. She’d do just about anything for this boy. 

“So how’s the big man on campus?” Eve asked as they all took their seats on the floor around the fireplace to exchange gifts. 

Daniel blew out a breath, his back up against the couch. “It’s incredible. Different. Exciting, but overwhelming. I’m happy to be home now, though.” He smiled, wrapping his arms around Grace as she crawled to sit between his legs, resting her back against his chest, an envelope clutched in her grip. 

“This one hasn’t been able to shut up about you, just so you know. Thanks for that.” Eve said before taking a big gulp from her mug.

Grace gaped at her cousin. Traitor. “Eve, what the hell?”  

Daniel chuckled and left several quick kisses on her cheek. “Haven’t been able to shut up about this one, either. Just ask my roommate, the poor bastard.” Grace smiled at that. He missed her just as much as she did him. 

She spun around, presenting Daniel with the envelope. “Okay, I can't take it anymore. Open it!” She was pretty proud of herself for this one. He took the envelope, that she had carefully written **_Daniel_** ** _♥_** on. 

The shocked look on his face said it all. “Babe, are you serious?!” He grinned as he held up the two Post Malone tickets. Daniel was a little obsessed. Every time she was in his car it seemed like one song or another from Hollywood’s Bleeding was sure to be on rotation. 

“You better cancel any plans you had on March 10th.”  

“Same for you. ‘Cause you’re coming with me.” She thought he’d want to take Jordan or something, but her heart swelled at him saying he wanted her to go with him. “You really shouldn’t have, Grace. This is perfect, thank you.” He leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the lips. 

Daniel grabbed a wrapped present and handed it to Eve, “Merry Christmas, Eve.” 

Eve opened the gift; expensive looking art supplies. He really was living up to the dream boy pet name she had given him. He always paid attention to everything. “Thanks, dude! This is sick!” 

Daniel pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Grace. She knew she was being paranoid, but if those were Post Malone tickets inside there, she’d have a coronary. Her whole gift to him would've been an entire bust then. 

She slipped her finger inside the envelope and slowly opened it. Inside she found two plane tickets. **Puerto Vallarta.** June. She furrowed her brow, looking up at Daniel with pure shock. “Mexico?” A few months ago, they'd briefly talked about vacation plans in passing. She figured they'd just bum it around Austin again this summer, which she was completely content to do but this boy always had the knack for going the extra mile. One of the many things she absolutely adored about him.

“You don’t have plans yet, do you?” He smirked. They’d both be on summer vacation. Free from the stress of school, their commitments, and free to spend as much time with each other as they could. The distance between Puerto Vallarta and Austin was even larger than Dallas. But that didn’t mean a thing if they were going together just the two of them.  

Eve almost shrieked. “Dude, Mexico?! Daniel, I know you love my cousin and all, but did you accidentally give her the gift that you meant for me?" She teased. 

Grace laughed and shook her head. “Daniel, of course not. I don’t even know what to say. I love it. And you.” Now it was her turn to wrap her arms around him and give him a kiss on the lips. “I can’t wait. Thank you.” 

* * *

Upon hearing that the plane tickets were in fact for Grace, a pouting Eve eventually retired to her room for the night. She’d get over it. 

Grace and Daniel were now snuggled up under the covers in her room. It was a place of so many firsts for them. The first time she saw Daniel do the most selfless thing she’d ever seen anyone do: stay with her the entire night after calming her down from her panic attack, the first time she said the words ‘ _I love you_ ’ to him after fighting her feelings for so many months, the first time Daniel trusted her enough to reveal the deeply personal and painful details of his past, and the first time they had shared themselves with each other in every sense of the word. Grace’s room would always be special to them.  

His arms were around her, and hers around him. She could feel the steady thump of his heartbeat as she lay her head on his chest. She hadn’t felt this relaxed and at peace in months. At one point in time, thoughts of Daniel had only clouded her mind, but if the past year had anything to say about it, being with Daniel was when her head was the clearest.  

“You have no idea how much I missed you.” He whispered to her, stroking her arm gently. “I swear, things will get better once football season is over.” 

She looked up at his warm brown eyes in earnest.  “Please don’t ever think that I blame your passion for one second. I am _so_ proud of you.” She leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. “Every single day. You have to know that.”   

Daniel sighed into the kiss, and she welcomed the warm sweep of his tongue in her mouth.  

He pulled away to rest their foreheads together. “I know. I love you so much.” 

“I love you, too." 

“We have an entire month together before I have to go back up to school.” 

She cradled his face, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs. “Let’s not think about that yet. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. We’ll make the best of it, and make it through. We always do.”

Grace sighed contently, eyes drooping slowly as sleep fought to pull her under. But she was finally safe to drift off peacefully tonight, because Daniel would be there in the morning. “Eve was right, you coming home to me really was the best present.” 

Daniel smiled as he relaxed and pulled her in to rest on his chest again. “Merry Christmas, Gracie.”  

Gracie, huh? Well, that was a new one. She might even like that nickname better than _Loser_.  

“Merry Christmas, Daniel.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by the way, that football game really was a thing that happened and they got creamed. guess they should've started daniel......
> 
> also, i just wanted to take a moment and thank anyone who has ever left me a comment, left kudos or has just been a silent reader. i started this fic just for my own enjoyment and i'm so happy that other people have found some enjoyment in it too.
> 
> with that said, if you have twitter or instagram, make sure you use the hashtag #renewskamaustin and tag facebook watch in all of your posts. we have to let them know we want more seasons, and especially to see more scenes that grace and daniel deserve!

**Author's Note:**

> The hiatus and history of these two characters between Season 1 and 2, as well as throughout Season 2 allowed for a lot of personal headcanons to form. This is my attempt at filling in some of the blanks and missing moments. 
> 
>  


End file.
